Was Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Constitution?

Was Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Constitution?

On September 17, 1787, a group of men gathered in a closed meeting room to sign the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. And it was Benjamin Franklin who made the motion to sign the document in his last great speech.

What did Benjamin Franklin do for the Constitutional Convention?

In 1787, he was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s oldest delegate.) At the end of the convention, in September 1787, he urged his fellow delegates to support the heavily debated new document.

Why did Benjamin Franklin cry while signing the Constitution?

When it came time for the states to ratify the Constitution, the lack of any bill of rights was the primary sticking point. Because of his poor health, Benjamin Franklin needed help to sign the Constitution. As he did so, tears streamed down his face.

What happened to Benjamin Franklin after signing the Declaration of Independence?

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)—After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin helped to negotiate the Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778 and the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783.

How long did Ben Franklin think the US Constitution would last?

Q. How long did Ben Franklin think the Constitution would last? As long as the country existed.

Did Benjamin Franklin help write the US Constitution?

Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father and a polymath, inventor, scientist, printer, politician, freemason and diplomat. Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and he negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War.

What did Benjamin Franklin believe about the government?

Franklin viewed free expression as the principal antagonist of tyrannical regimes. He also defended religious toleration and freedom. He vested authority in the actions of man rather than in an absolute religious doctrine.

What did Ben Franklin say about the Constitution after it was signed?

“Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” Franklin said.

What did Ben Franklin have to do with the Declaration of Independence?

Benjamin Franklin primarily served as the editor of the Declaration of Independence. His changes were believed to have been minimal, but, when the document went before the entire Continental Congress, the draft was more thoroughly changed by the larger body from Jefferson’s original text.

What did Benjamin Franklin believe in government?

Franklin believed in a democratic form of government. Enlightenment thinking such as Franklin’s was based on science and reason. Franklin advocated civic virtue and political activism.

Did Ben Franklin help write the Constitution?

How long did Benjamin Franklin think the U.S. Constitution would last?

What did Benjamin Franklin say about the republic?

A republic or a monarchy?” To which Franklin supposedly responded, with a rejoinder at once witty and ominous: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Was Ben Franklin a Patriot or Loyalist?

Long before he became a revolutionary patriot, Benjamin Franklin was a loyalist, a fervent supporter of the Anglo-American connection.

What was the significance of the ratification of the Constitution?

Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution The signing of the U.S. Constitution on 17 September 1787 was a milestone in creating a government for the recently independent United States. However, the act of signing itself did not create a government. Nor did it bring the new Constitution into force.

Is there a definitive history of the ratification debates?

Beginning with the publication of the first volume of The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution (DHRC) in 1976, DHRC editors at CSAC have been publishing the definitive collection of primary source material related to the ratification debates.

When did the Constitution get ratified by the States?

Ratification of the Constitution by the states: Massachusetts (2), 1 April to 9 May 1788 — v. 6. Ratification of the Constitution by the states: Massachusetts (3), 9 May to 13 September 1788 — v.

Who was Benjamin Franklin?

Exploring the life and work of writer and publisher, scientist and inventor, diplomat and signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution: Benjamin Franklin.